Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ “ And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”

The passage above speaks of two distinct events, the Marriage of the Lamb and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Both of these events are reminiscent of the ancient Jewish wedding ceremony where the Bride would become betrothed to her Groom and he would go away to build her a home. In the meantime she would wait anxiously for his return with shouts from his wedding party of “The Bridegroom Comes!” When the shouts were heard she would run out to meet him and they would share each others love in the wedding chamber then proceed to a banquet that would last for up to seven days. He would then take her to her new home. The one caveat is the timing of the grooms return to her. For he could never return until the home he built met the approval of the his father. Jesus used this wedding ceremony imagery often in His Parables. Some of the passages where it is used can be found in Matthew 24-25, Rev. 19 and in John 14:1-3. In John He stated:

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

I love the Scripture because it is so revealing about God and His amazing plans for those who love Him! The Wedding Ceremony takes place in Heaven after He has come from heaven with a shout 1Thess. 4:13-18; 1Cor. 15:51-57. After the Church has gone up to meet with Christ we stand before Him in judgment to receive the reward that He has promised to all believers. This is not a judgment of condemnation, because the church is never condemned, but rather a judgment of obedience. God has called us all to be His ambassadors on this earth and as such we are rewarded for our acts of obedience, 1 Cor. 3:9-15; Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10. In Revelation 19 the Church is seen to be wearing the Wedding garments of white linen, bright and clean, which are the righteous acts of the saints. We are clothed because we have received our reward.

Soon after the Wedding Ceremony we will return with Christ to the earth, Zech 14:4-5; Jude 14; 1 Thess. 3:13, where we will participate in the second event referenced in Rev. 19:9 the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. All saints of all ages will participate in his blessed event as they share their adoration of Christ our Savior and Lord through the blessing of a feast!! Jesus referred to this event the night before His betrayal in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, where He sat with the Apostles for the “Last Supper”. He stated to them:And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Luke 22:14-18 (ESV)

Isn’t it amazing the things that God has prepared for our future! St. Paul stated: But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,Nor have entered into the heart of manThe things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV) Often my heart pains for those who have rejected to come into a saving relationship with Christ. They do not understand that their rejection means a refusal to participate in the glories to come, heaven and the right to rule with Christ on this earth for another 1000 years during His Millennial reign, Rev. 20:1-6.

Sure the wedding and the associate wedding supper is on the horizon. the big question is will you finally turn to Christ and make your vows to be part of His eternal bride?

I hope you enjoy the video made by “larfm1” to lyrics by Casting Crowns concerning this awesome day that still awaits the church, the Bride of Christ!